AT&T has been proactively eliminating its LTE stock smartphones to subscribers still rely on their outdated 3G nwork before the death of 3G. The carrier has been pushing these devices to customers who risk not having an active cellular connection once the network closes in February 2022. The closureBelow will also affect devices that do not support ATG 4G VoLTE, a requirement for high definition voice calls.
People were warned of the change last summer and was encouraged to request a new compatible device to assist with the transition. But in some cases, AT&T shipped smartphones without any request. Founder of Android Police received an unsolicited Samsung Galaxy Note 9 i Reddit publications detail similar cases. The problem is that the Note 9 is over three years old and today we learned that Samsung will stop deployment of monthly updates to its aging Note.
Other devices that users have reported receiving from AT&T include the Galaxy Note 10, Galaxy S9, and the budget Galaxy A11. Android Police contacted AT&T to ask about the updated device device. An operator spokesman responded that “inventory limitations mean we sometimes have to find replacements for some devices,” which explains why subscribers receive multiple phones.
AT&T published a complete list of devices that would continue to be supported after the network switch. Some of the older Samsung devices include the Galaxy Note Edge and the Note 4, which were released in 2014 and have long been off the list of software updates.
Other phone models are also supported. There are many LG Android devices on the list, including ASUS, Alcatel, HTC and BlackBerry. There are even some Windows Phone phones on the list, namely the Lumia 950 and Lumia 640 XL.
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For those with iOS, AT&T will support the iPhone 6 and newer devices. Flip phones are also supported, somehow, and according to a few publications a Reddit, AT&T has also provided these users with updated flip devices. Most tablets and smart watches launched in recent years will continue to be supported on the network, including Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy smart watches.
That it seems that AT&T is just cleaning up its warehouses in an attempt to soften themand transition to customers who have not updated. If you’re one of the users who will be affected by the shutdown of the AT&T 3G network, consider upgrading to one of the latest devices instead of keeping track of what your mobile carrier has to offer. A free Android smartphone is certainly nice, but if you don’t have one monthly software updates or 5G support, it is worth considering a more current device than can be taken advantage of updated infrastructure and will not leave you behind when it comes to new features.